Precious Things
by Enelya
Summary: Wives, mothers, daughters: what did the women think of the Silmarils that touched their lives? These are their thoughts. A set of drabbles: Nerdanel, Lúthien, Melian, Nimloth and Elwing. Now complete.
1. Nerdanel

**Nerdanel**

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'Fëanáro?'

'Yes, love?'

'Do you love the Silmarils?'

'Of course!'

'But do you love them more than _me_?'

The pause lasts for too long.

'I love you more than anyone in the world, Nerdanel,' he says, and they do not speak of it again.

She doesn't forget, though, and that worries her. She asked him a question, and he responded, but he did not answer her, and she cannot forget it. _He said that he loved me more than anyone. Is that not enough?_

No, it is not. She is still uncertain. Any_one_, yes. But any_thing?_ She is not sure.

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**AN:** Tolkien owns all these women. I wrote this drabble for a writing challenge on Livejournal, then decided that the other women whose lives were affected by the Silmarils need some attention too.


	2. Luthien

**Lúthien**

In the darkness before the throne, the Silmarils blaze like three suns, sharply etching shadows on the wall. She fancies that she can hear them singing, voices reaching far beyond the range of sound. The one that lies in Beren's hand softly illuminates his flesh, highlighting veins like fine red rivers. He stares at the treasure glittering like a star in his palm for so long that she is afraid that she has lost him to its siren song – but then he looks at her, and her breath catches, for the love in his eyes shines brighter than any jewel.

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**AN: **I'm glad people are enjoying these! Tolkien still owns all the characters. Luthien seems to be the odd one out in these drabbles, since she was the only one who got something good out of them.


	3. Melian

**Melian**

Sleep is elusive: instead, she ghosts the silent halls. She doubts that she will ever sleep soundly again while the Silmaril is beneath her roof. She can sense it even now, calling to the shadows: the holy jewel only shines so bright because darkness surrounds it. Already, it has bewitched her husband. Thingol will not part with it – the jewel that bought their daughter, who was fairer than treasure and beloved beyond price – for any cause. Only she sees the evil Beren brought into their realm, but she can only strengthen the Girdle, and brace herself for the approaching darkness.

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AN: Tolkien still owns everything. Melian was in a rather unenviable position after Thingol received the Silmaril, and she might have had some foresight and foreboding about it. 


	4. Nimloth

**Nimloth**

The messenger left almost a day ago, the sons of Fëanor will soon have their answer. The Silmaril – Lúthien danced for it, Beren bled for it, Thingol died for it, Melian faded because of it, and Dior will not yield it. In her heart, she knows it will end in blood. Her husband is well-liked, but he is not Thingol, and she is no Melian. There is no more magic to keep the darkness at bay.

She watches her children sleep, more precious to her than jewels, and she wonders if life without the Silmaril would really be so unthinkable.

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**AN:** Thanks for the reviews, I'm glad you guys are enjoying the drabbles. I can't find much Nimloth fic, and I want to write something longer for her if I can. I think this one is my favourite. 


	5. Elwing

**Elwing**

Covered in blood and mud with smoke staining her hair, she is no longer white and she no longer wishes to be Elwing. Elwing had a husband, but he is gone. Elwing had sons, but she cannot find them.

Elwing had a Silmaril.

That she has, hidden beneath her clothes and yet still glowing softly. She hates it now, the cursed treasure that has brought death and destruction to both her homes. She is pursued, but the cliffs are high and the sea calls to her. If the jewel is lost, her death at least will not be in vain.

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**AN:** This was a hard drabble to write, because a lot of the fandom (myself included) doesn't have much love for Elwing. I don't understand her motivations, although I don't think that she intended to abandon her sons. Some fanart has her jumping off the cliff while Elrond and Elros, and the Feanorians look on, which makes the woman all kinds of crazy. I've tried to write her in a way that makes me understand why she did what she did.

(Nimloth's drabble mentions Melian fading, and I know it didn't happen that way in canon. _We_ know that Melian simply left her body and went back to Valinor, but for the Elves, finding her lifeless body and seeing the Girdle fade would probably lead to them thinking that she had died from grief. Sorry if anyone was confused.)


End file.
